


Worth Proving

by purajobot935



Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Brothers, Danger, Drama, Family, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Uncle-Nephew Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-06
Updated: 2013-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-23 22:32:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/627234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purajobot935/pseuds/purajobot935
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of Thorin's reprimand about orcs, Kili just wants to prove to his uncle that he belongs with the Company. Fili just wants him to stop trying so hard. Then there was the matter of the rain and frightened ponies... and Thorin being a mother hen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth Proving

**Worth Proving**

_“It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done…”_

Fíli allowed a small smile to grace his features despite the downpour, as Dwarf, Hobbit and Wizard continued to banter about other wizards and Great Wizards and where Gandalf fell in the midst of them. He had to admire Bilbo for courage at the very least; if the hobbit felt nervous around the much larger being, he didn’t show it.

He turned to his brother, knowing the younger dwarf would be getting as much of a kick out of this as he was, expecting to see a twin smile on the face he knew could break a thousand hearts with just an upward curve of his lips (in fact, he knew for a fact that a good many young dwarf-women of the Blue Mountains – their home – had sighed in disappointment when their uncle, Thorin, had returned to collect them for this journey).

So it was quite to his surprise that he found Kíli hunched over in his saddle, blue hood drawn up over his dripping dark hair, looking as dismal as the rainclouds above them. One hand gripped the reins of his pony loosely while the other held – slightly more firmly – the lead rein of one of their supply ponies. Acorn, if he remembered the animal’s name correctly.

He nudged his own pony closer to his brother’s.

“Don’t you feel well?” he asked, a little concerned.

Kíli’s dark eyes rested on him briefly then turned back to the road before them. “I’m fine. It is just the weather… and… I miss home, just a little. No one ever tells you about the rain and the mud and sleeping on soggy ground when they talk about adventures do they?”

“That would take some of the fun out of it,” Fíli replied.

“Well they should.”

Fíli nodded with a smile. “Careful. You’re starting to sound like our hobbit friend up ahead.”

Kíli hunched over more, still gloomy. “We might as well be, the way we’re treated still.”

Ahh, there was the sore spot, Fíli realized. “We’ll have our chance, little brother, don’t worry.”

“It’s not that… it’s… we have fought at his side before! He didn’t have to….” Clearly it pained Kíli to even speak of their uncle’s reprimand from a couple of nights before.

“Against what, in truth?” Fíli attempted reason. “Wild boars, hill goblins, mountain cats? He is right in some ways, Kíli. We don’t know what it is to be in a battle with orcs. How can we? We have yet to encounter a real orc.”

Kíli frowned at him. “Whose side are you on?”

“All I’m saying is: don’t take it so much to heart. You know how Thorin gets about these things.”

“Now you sound like Balin.”

Fíli sighed. “Well, you’re being a bright ray of sunshine this morning, aren’t you?”

“It’s raining, if you haven’t noticed.”

“I have, and you’re not exactly brightening any moods while in this sulk of yours.”

As if reading his mind, some way ahead of them, Bofur struck up a sprightly little tune on his flute, something that lifted the spirits of the Company even if only a little, and even Kíli sat up a bit in his saddle. From the front of the train of ponies the brothers heard Gandalf laugh, and just for a brief moment the air around them seemed to lighten. Fíli thought he saw even Thorin’s lips twitch up in a half-smile.

“I just want to prove that I’m worth something.” Kíli’s voice was quiet and hopeful.

“You ARE worth something,” Fíli replied, and Kíli did not have to look at him to know his words were spoken from the heart. “If not to them, or to him, then to me. Remember that.”

“You know the same is true for my part.”

“I know.”

The rain continued to fall…

~***~

The laughter ceased.

The song ended.

The light faded

The rain grew heavier….

~***~

“We had best stop for the night,” Gandalf advised, stopping with a look the protest that started on Thorin’s lips. “This amount of rain may have caused rivers to swell, we do not know by how much. Trying to ford any in the dark would be foolish at best, disastrous at worst.”

“Aye lad,” Balin said. “You may not even know there’s a river before you till you’d been swept and swallowed up by it. Besides, we’d be all the better for the rest come morning.”

Thorin knew a lost battle when he saw one and with a grunt turned to face the rest of the Company.

“We will make camp for the night. Bofur, Nori, scout ahead and try to find us some shelter.”

Even Fíli had to raise a brow at this order, as the two named Dwarves trotted off on their ponies to do as Thorin asked. It had always been him and his brother who did the scouting. He chanced a glance to his side to see if Kíli had heard and was met with a sullen stare from under than blue hood.

“It could mean nothing,” he said.

“Or he’s decided we’re no longer useful,” Kíli replied.

“He hasn’t sent us back, and now would be the right time to do so, before we cross the mountains.”

“What’s that?” The hobbit’s voice came from just behind them.

Both young dwarves started – they hadn’t even heard him come up, and not for the first time did they think Gandalf had made a good decision in picking Bilbo.

“What’s what?” Fíli asked.

“Now would be the right time to do what?” Bilbo asked. “I hope you’re not thinking of playing another trick on me.”

“Nothing of the sort, Mister Baggins,” Kíli replied with a wide smile as he looked down at the hobbit who stood beside his pony. Fíli noted the smile did not reach Kíli’s eyes.

They were spared further elaboration when Nori returned to say that some kind of shelter had been found.

It turned out to be nothing more than an overhang of rock behind a small canopy of trees, but at least it was drier under there, and they hurried to it. Gandalf halted just under the trees with Bilbo at his side, listening.

“Is that… a river?” the hobbit asked.

Thorin rounded on his two scouts, cursing in Khuzdul before switching to Common. “You brought us near a river?!”

“There is no other shelter for miles,” Bofur said, and Nori added, “The river is further below us. As long as we stay up here, we should be safe.”

Thorin was not having it. “Extra watches tonight. We’ll take no chances with the river. Fíli, Kíli…” The bothers snapped their heads up and Fíli noted the hopeful look in Kíli’s eyes. “Keep the ponies close, just in case.”

The younger dwarf’s sigh was lost amongst the noise of the rest of the Company dismounting and removing bedrolls and blankets.

Fíli kept a watchful eye on his brother as they went round collecting the other ponies so they could give them a quick grooming and feed.

“How much longer is he going to be unhappy with us?” Kíli murmured as he combed dead leaves out of his own pony’s mane.

“Kíli, you have to let it go. He knows we’re good with the ponies. I’m sure he’s already forgotten about it.” Fili picked a stone out of another pony’s hoof.

His brother gave a hollow laugh, even as he rubbed down Thorin’s pony. “This is Uncle we speak of. You’ve heard the stories – he doesn’t forgive or forget easily.”

“You know it is not the same with us two.” Fili straightened, lightening the pack on Bilbo’s pony. “Please Kíli.”

“I just want the chance to make it up to him.”

“And it will come if you’re patient. For now, stop moping and help me with the task we already have.”

A frugal, but warm supper was had and, save for those on watch, the rest of the Company settled in for the night, lulled to sleep by the sound of raindrops on the leaves above them, and the occasional grunt or soft stamp of a pony….

~***~

Fíli wasn’t entirely sure what roused him in the middle of the night, seeing as how it was not his turn for the watch yet, but rouse he did. He sat up slowly, careful not to wake his sleeping brother beside him, an uneasy feeling building in the pit of his stomach.

He looked over at the Dwarf on watch – Dori was nodding off where he sat – then over at the ponies – they fidgeted restlessly. He decided to write it off as the dreary weather making everyone and everything miserable and started to settle back down to sleep.

A frightened neigh split the wary lull and Fíli sat up in time to see Acorn bolt past them trailing his lead rein. A sudden shift and blur from beside him made him turn his head, only to see empty space. The younger dwarf had been off like a flash only a second after Acorn had bolted and was now running after the pony, trying to grab his lead rein.

“Kíli!!” Fíli was only vaguely aware of the rest of the Company coming to awareness as he took off after his brother.

A few paces ahead he could just make out the shapes of pony and dwarf. The sudden downward tilt of the ground and the sound of running water reaching his ears told him the river was near and he slowed, trying to be mindful of his footing. Kíli had also realized the closeness of the river, but instead of slowing, used the momentum of the descending slope to throw himself forward and grab the rein in the hopes that his full weight would slow the terrified pony down.

Fíli could only watch in horror as Acorn plunged into the water, dragging Kíli with him.

Not hesitating in the slightest, Fíli dived in after them, only vaguely aware of his uncle screaming their names as the river swallowed him up…

He kicked furiously and broke the surface, trying to swim against the current as he searched desperately for his brother.

A high-pitched squeal made him whip his head around to see the dark-haired dwarf further downstream from him trying to calm the frightened pony so he could keep both the beast from drowning.

Fíli struck out towards them, barely registering movement and points of light on the riverbank. His sole purpose now was to get to his brother and keep _him_ from drowning.

“Kíli!” He tried to get his brother’s attention without swallowing a mouthful of water as he got closer. “Brother, grab my hand!”

On hindsight, he realized that it had probably not been wise to shout in the vicinity of a frightened animal.

Kíli had somehow managed to turn Acorn about so he was facing the riverbank when Fíli’s shout sounded over the rushing water. The pony reared, forelegs lashing out. The sound of hoof meeting flesh reached Fíli’s sharp ears as Acorn lunged for the bank and Kíli disappeared under the water.

“KÍLI!” the scream came from land, and as Fíli sucked air into his lungs and dived, he saw three dwarves grab hold of Thorin to keep him from plunging in after them. “Fíli, no!”

It wasn’t a choice really – obey his uncle or save his brother.

~***~

When they asked him later, Fíli could not tell them how he’d managed to find his brother in the dark, fast-flowing water – he just knew on instinct where to turn to be able to spot him.

Letting the current push him towards the slowly sinking silhouette, Fíli grabbed him under the arms and started hauling him to the surface. Gasping for air as their heads cleared the water, Fíli held Kíli securely to himself and tried to swim for land, all the while fighting the pull of the current while trying to coax his brother back to consciousness.

On the bank, those dwarves not busy with trying to hold Thorin back from becoming another complication scrambled to rescue the two brothers.

“Ropes!” Bofur yelled. “Throw them a rope quickly, you rockheads! They can’t fight the current!”

Nori was already securing one end of a length of rope around Bombur’s waist, letting him serve as their anchor. Dori grabbed the other end and swung it over his head to build momentum before launching it towards the younger dwarves. Fíli missed, having only one hand free to try and catch it, the other clinging firmly to his unconscious brother.

“Throw it again!” Bilbo shouted as he and Ori held on to Acorn’s rein to keep him from bolting again. Most of the supplies he’d carried were gone.

The others ran after the pair as they were swept further along and Dori let fly his end of the rope again.

Fíli thought he heard Gandalf shout something in a language he did not recognize, right before the rope landed in his hand. He closed his fist around it tightly and jerked to a stop, gripping Kíli tight with a yelp as the swirling water nearly tore his brother from his grasp.

“Hold on, lads, we’ve got you!” Dwalin shouted.

“PULL THEM IN!” Thorin roared as the rest of the dwarves got hold of the rope and started to haul them to shore.

But the river would not give up its prize so easily. Even as they were towed to land, the current shifted and Fíli yelped as he nearly lost his grip on the rope. The water thrust them towards something dark that loomed suddenly beside them, and Fíli recognized it just in time to put himself between it and his brother.

He slammed back against the rock with bruising force, his head bouncing off the surface of it, and the two might have yet gone under had it not been for the final effort of the dwarves on land.

“Fíli! Kíli!” Thorin was upon them as soon as they scraped the shallows.

Dazed from the blow as he was, Fíli could only just make out the large form of his uncle lifting Kíli from his arms even as he himself was hoisted onto a broad shoulder – Dwalin’s he guessed – and his eyes closed of their own accord.

The last sound that reached his ears was the voice of Thorin, shouting at them and asking them to wake – not in the voice of their leader, but that of a father desperately calling for his sons. Fíli hated that he had to disappoint the dwarf that had been such to them.

~***~

A comfortable warmth all around him made Fíli finally decide to open his eyes again. He winced at the light coming from a bright fire and then willed his eyes open all the way. Most of the Company sat or slept a ways off, some speaking in hushed voices amongst themselves. Closest to where he lay however was Thorin, sitting hunched over, missing his great fur coat that Fíli only then became aware was draped over him and another familiar warm presence beside him.

He turned his head and met sleepy brown eyes that gazed out from his beloved little brother’s face. A crude bandage was wrapped around his head and Fíli could make out traces of a herbal paste and dried blood along the left side of Kíli’s face.

It brought to mind his own injuries and he shifted slightly. To his surprise, by some magic or medicine – he suspected a little of both – there was only a dull yet bearable ache in his back and not the blinding pain he expected. Even the knot on the back of his head was smaller than he’d thought.

Drawing a deeper breath, he was about to berate his brother for acting so rashly when Kíli gave him a small smile and the angry words died on his lips. Instead, he gently touched the bandage around the younger’s head.

“You could have drowned,” he murmured.

“You would have never let that happen,” Kíli replied in just as soft a voice.

Fíli responded with a wry smile, but before he could say more, a shadow fell over them.

“You FOOLS!” Clearly Thorin had no problem shouting at them.

A few heads turned in their direction and quickly turned away again. No one moved from their positions, not even Gandalf who stayed Bilbo with a hand.

“What were you thinking?! WERE you thinking at all?!” he railed. “By Durin’s beard, of all the misguided antics you pull… do you even know what could have happened tonight?!”

Kíli sat up, albeit slowly. “Do not blame Fíli if you need someone to shout at, Uncle. The fault was mine and I will accept your reprimand.”

Fíli sat up as well, the fur coat falling off them. “Then he’ll have to share it between the both of us for I responded too slowly to protect you.”

“You should not have to protect me from my own actions and mistakes,” Kíli argued.

“Will you both be QUIET!” Thorin’s shout brought them back to him. “You could have died! The pair of you could have drowned in that thrice-cursed river, and for what?! The sake of a baggage pony and some supplies?!” The brothers traded an uneasy glance. “Do you not understand?! I could have… could have…”

The pair looked on in surprise at the sudden hitch in their usually stern uncle’s voice. With a sigh the older Dwarf dropped to sit with them, and when he spoke it was in a voice much softer yet stronger in emotion.

“I could have lost you both.”

Kíli looked away, not used to seeing this kind of emotion in Thorin’s icy blue eyes. “We… I just wanted to make up for what happened before, and prove myself worthy of this Company, Uncle.”

“Worthy?” Thorin looked taken aback for a moment. “You… both of you… are heirs of Durin’s line. That puts your worth above any other measure of Dwarf.” He laid a gentle hand on each shoulder. “You are also my only kin. That puts your worth above anything in all of Middle Earth and the Undying Lands – to me.” His grip tightened briefly. “Do not EVER throw your lives away like that again. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Uncle,” Fíli said, and Kíli nodded.

“Good lads.” Thorin stood. “Now get some sleep. We start at first light.”

Fíli turned to his brother once Thorin had moved away and hugged him gently. “And you,” he said. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again. I almost lost you.”

Kíli leaned against him with a tired smile. “Sorry,” he replied. “But you’re quite stuck with me. I won’t be going anywhere.”

“You will get no complaint from me.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Kíli’s smile took on a cheeky edge. “I seem to recall some words said many years ago.”

“We were mere children. Doesn’t count.” Fíli kissed a bandaged temple. “Now, you heard Uncle. Rest.” He pushed Kíli lightly till his brother was lying down once more.

“You as well.” Kíli tugged at him and Fíli obliged by lying beside him.

For a while there was silence and Fíli shifted, wondering if his brother had fallen back to sleep. Around camp conversation ceased as those who had stayed awake also started to settle down for what remained of the night. Bilbo was snoring, and he heard Gandalf offer to keep watch. He spotted Thorin laying himself down not too far away and his uncle met his eyes with a quick small smile that warmed Fíli’s heart so that he finally felt secure and able enough to drift off to sleep again.

“Oh!”

The voice was Kíli’s.

Fíli jerked awake from the doze he had been slipping in to and looked over. “What is it?” Concern laced his voice. Was Kíli in pain?

“It’s stopped raining.”

A smattering of smothered laughter came from around the camp. Fili gave a long-suffering sigh, nudging his brother gently, glad though his was to hear Kíli’s high spirits returning.

“Go to sleep, brother.”

“Now.” Thorin added.

Kíli snorted, but said no more, and the Company slept under the watchful eye of the Grey Wizard.

The rain was done.

~END.

**Author's Note:**

> So this was based off a line in Chapter 2 of "The Hobbit", page 31 (in my book): _Then one of the ponies took fright at nothing and bolted. He got into the river before they could catch him; and before they could get him out again, Fili and Kili were nearly drowned, and all of the baggage he carried was washed away off him._
> 
> I decided to place this after the scenes of Thorin reprimanding the brothers and Balin talking about the battle of Moria, and before the scene with the Trolls since, after Dori complains about the rain and Bilbo asks about wizards, we cut away to Radagast. It seemed to be something that could have happened along the way.


End file.
